Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-01-16
CONTINUED
CHAPTER V.

lection. lie NS COuSCtOuS VI shOueAhs
ineoherently with the Others, of urging his
horse irresiStibly forward, OF momentarily
expecting to meet or Oyertake something,
but without any further thought The
figures of Clinch and RSwliuS immediately
before him shut out the prospect OF the
narrowing trail. Once only, taking adyan-
tage of a sudden halt that threw them con-
fusedly together, he managed to ask a ques'
ton.
Lost their track-fOund it AgTin!'
shouted the ustler, AS Clinch, with acry
like the blying OF a hOund, again darted
forward. Their horeS were painting and
trembling under them, the ascent seemed
to he growing sleeper, asingular darkness,
which even the density of the wood did
not sufficiently account for, surrounded
them, hut still their leader madly urged
them on. To Hale'S etnrning senses they
did not seem in q condition To engage a
single ~resOiute man, who might have am
pushed in the woods or beaten them in
detail in the narrow gorge, hut in another
instant the reason OF their furious haste
was manifest. Squirting his horse ahead,
Clinch dashed out into the opening with a
cheering shout-a shout that as quickly
changed TO q yell Of imprecatiOn. They
were on the ridge in a binding snOwstorm.
The road had already vanished under their
feet, and with it the fresh trail they had
50 closely followed! They stood hclPlersly
on the shore off, tracklesS white sea, blank
and S~potleSs of any trace or sign Of the
fugitives.
Pears to me, boys" said the OStler,
suddenly ranging before them, "ef you're
not kalkilatin' on gittin' another party to
dig We out ye'd better be huntin' fodder
aud cover instead of road agents. 'Skuse
me, gentlemen, but I'm responsible for the
HOSES, and this amt no time for circus
ridin'. We're q matter o six miles from
the station in a bee ltne.'
''Rack to the trail, then" said Clineh,
wheeling his morse toward the road they
had lust quilted.
CAuNS AhNs - c1A1 NV SSNA~AN
LAYING his hand on Clineh's rein. but that
way only brings us back to the road va
kem-the stage rOad-three miles further
from home. That three miles is on the di-
vide, and by the time We get there it will.
be showed up worse nor this. The shortest
cut is along the Ridge. Ii we hump our
selves We ken cross the divide aiore the
road is blocked. And that, 'SSuSe me, gen.
tlemen, is my rood"
There was no time for discussion. The
road was already ~palpably t~hiekening IN
der their feet. Hale's arm was stifened
to his side by n wet, clinging snow wreath.
The figures of the others were almost Oblit-
Grated and shapele&S> 1t WAS not showing
it was snOwbliling. The huge flakes, sha-
ken like enormous feathers out Of 4 vast
blue black cloud, ~cOmmingled and fell in
sprlys and patches. All idea OF their for
mer pursuit WAS forgotten; the blind rage
aud enthusiasm that had possessed them
was gone. They dashed after their now
leader with only an instinct for shelter and
SucCOT.
They had not ridden long when fOrtu-
natelv it 10 seemed tO Hale, the character
of the storm changed. The snow no longer
fell i'm such large flakes, nor Is heavily. A
bitter wind succeeded; the soft snow began
10 stifen and crackle under the horses
hoofs, they wcre No longer weighted and
encountered by the drifts upon their bodies;
the smaller flakes now ruStled and rlSped
against them like sand, or bounded from
them like hail. They seemed to be NOV
ing more easily aud rapidly, their spirits
were rising with the stimulus Of cold and
L.,.H,ll.Y1. fI.f 1,.1.r hnlkal
It's no use, boys. IL can't be done.
This is mo blizzard, but a regular two DAYS
%suifter, It's no longer. meltin', but packiu'
and driltin' now. Even il we get over the
divide, we're shure to be blocked up in
the pass
Ii was true, To their bitter diSappOint-
ment they could now see thatthe suOw had
not really diminished in quantity, but that
the now finely powdered. PARTICLES were
RAPIDLY filling all inequalities OF the sur
face, packing in long burrows across the
levels. They looked with anxiety ut their
self-conStituted leader.
I've must make "a break to get down in
the woods again before il is too late, he
said briefly.
But they had already drifted away from
the fringe OF larcheS and dwarf pines that
marked the sides of the Ridge, and lower
down merged into the dense forest that
clothed the flank of the mountain they had
lately climbed, and it was with the great
est difficulty that they again reached it,
only to find that at that point ii was to
PERCEPTIONS for the descent of their horses.
Benumbed and speeches., they continued
TO toll on, opposed to the full fury of
the singing snow, aud ut times Obliged
10 turn their horses to the blast To keep
from being blown over the ridge. At the
end of half an hour the Ostler~d ismOunted,
and, reckoning to the Others, took his
horse by the bride and began the descent.
When it came TO Hale'S turn to diSmOunt
he could not help at first recOiling from
the prospect before him. The trail-if it
could be- so called-was merely the track
or furrow of some fallen tree, dragged, by
accident or design, diagonally across the
sides of the mountain. At other times a
mere crumbling gully, or a narrow shelf
made by the projections Of dead bOughS
and collected debris. Ii seemed perilOuS
for a foot passenger; it appeared impOssi-
ble for a horse. Nevertheless, he had Ia
ken a step forward when Clineh laid his
hand on his arm.
s'YOu'n bring up the rear" he said, not
unkindly, ''ez you're n stranger here.
Wait until we sing out TO you"
But if | prefer to take the same risks
as You all?' said Hale, stiffy.
''You kim" said Clineh, grimly. "But
I reckoned, rs you weren't familiar with
this sort o. thing, You wouldn't .keer, by
any iOOlishnessO o yours, to stampede the
rocks ahead of us, and break down the
trail. or send down an avelanch on top Of
US. But just ez yOu like"
al will wait then, " said Hale hOstily.
The rebuke, however did him good ser
vice. II preOccupied his mind, so that it
remained unaffected by the dizzy depths,
and enabled him to abandon himself me
chemically to the saGacity Of his horse, who
was contented TO follow the footprints Of
the preceding animal, and in a few mo-
ments they reached the broader trail be-
-.s.ho,,f a mishan A Discussion re-